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not them their tresspasses, neither would his heavenly Father forgive them their trespasses. Whether they were sincere or not, made no difference as to the argument: If a person lays his account with being forgiven of God, and is unforgiving to his brother, his conduct is nevertheless inconsistent or wicked; for his being under the power of self-deception, his motive is the same as if it had been otherwise.

There are some subjects that I feel myself incapable of throwing any fresh light upon. Where this is the case, I think it my duty to decline them. Under this description I must reckon the questions of a correspondent who signs himself A Berean; and another who has addressed a letter to me, under the signature of Candidus, concerning the decrees of God. I feel difficulties upon those great subjects, on which I had rather pray at present than write.

GAIUS.

ON THE NATURE OF FAITH.

Question. WHEREIN consists the difference between the faith of God's elect, and the faith of devils? Does it lie in different apprehensions of the same object; or in the different tempers of the subject; or in the nature of the exercise itself?

Answer. The difference between the faith of God's elect, or true saving faith, and the faith of devils, is the same, as to substance, and in the nature of it, with that which there is between the faith of a true Christian, and the faith of unregenerate or wicked men; which may be expressed in the following words:

Saving faith consists in a sight of the true, transcendent, divine beauty and excellence of the things of the moral kingdom of God; and in all those views and exercises, in which such a sight and discerning does consist, or which are implied and involved in it.

The following observations may perhaps throw some light on this subject.

Devils and wicked men do not see the divine beauty of the things which relate to the moral kingdom of God. They may have a sort of conviction of conscience, or of their speculative judgment, that they are beautiful and excellent; but they have no real, true idea of this; therefore are wholly without all true sight and discerning of it. A sight of this beauty supposes and involves a true taste and relish of heart for such kind of beauty and excellence; and consequently a love of it: for discerning, or seeing the beauty of an object, and loving that object, cannot be distinguished, since this is really one and the same thing. Therefore they who have no heart to love the objects of the moral kingdom of God, do not discern any beauty or excellence in them. But this is true of devils and wicked men: for in this, and in contrary dispositions and exercises, all their wickedness consists.

Wicked men are capable of all that is implied in saving faith, but this discerning and sight of moral beauty, and that which implies and depends upon this. Therefore in this alone lies the difference. They may have all that light and conviction, all that faith, with respect to God and the things of his kingdom, which is consist ent with reigning wickedness of heart, or that total moral depravity, which excludes all taste of moral beau VOL. III.

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ty, and includes the prevalence of an opposite taste and inclination of heart. But a discerning and sight of the beauty, excellence, and glory of the moral character and kingdom of God, is not consistent with this. Therefore they have no degree of this discerning; but are wholly blind and in the dark respecting it; and will continue to be so for ever and ever, unless their moral depravity be removed so far as is necessary in order to their having a taste for moral beauty. But to be blind to this, is in reality to be blind to every thing of worth, which relates to the moral government and kingdom of God: for if moral beauty and excellence be excluded, all is darkness and folly, disorder and confusion.

Holiness, which is moral beauty and excellence, is that in which the moral character of God consists. This is his beauty, fulness, and glory. And the beauty, wisdom, excellence, perfection, and glory of the moral government and kingdom of God, consist in the exercise and expression of holiness, or, which is the same, in the exhibition and display of the moral character of God. Therefore they who have no true idea of holiness, must be wholly in the dark respecting the moral character and kingdom of God. "They cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John iii. 3.) Whatever discerning and knowledge they may have, in other respects, they do not know or discern the things of the Spirit of God; but they are foolishness unto them. The truth, the sum of all the truths of the gospel, is hidden from them. (See 1 Cor. ii. 14. 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.)

Moral beauty, and indeed beauty of any kind, is not the object of the understanding, considered as mere intellect, and distinct from the disposition or heart.

Were there nothing but intellect, there could not be any idea of beauty. Beauty is the object of taste, which belongs to the will or heart, and not to the intellect, as such, or considered as distinct from the inclination or choice, and as not including the latter. Therefore, he who has no taste for moral beauty, but is of a disposition of heart directly contrary to this, has no true idea of moral beauty; and no degree of strength or clearness of mere intellect will help him to it. He cannot be put into any imaginable circumstances which will give him this idea, while he is without all right taste and disposition of heart. No external or internal applications; no applications and influences, even of the Spirit of God, can give the mind the least true light in this matter, while he heart remains wholly corrupt, and so without all right taste and discerning: this being in the nature of things impossible; or, which is the same, a direct and perfect contradiction. Therefore this cannot be done in any other possible way, than by giving a new taste, which is in scripture language, a new heart.

But when the heart is changed by regeneration, a new heart, or right taste and disposition given, the mind becomes capable of the idea of moral beauty; and in the exercise of this taste and discerning, sees God; sees his moral character, as it is exercised and expressed in his moral government and kingdom, in all the beauty, excellence, wisdom, and glory of it; and so "sees the kingdom of God." And by discovering this new, and before hidden object, all things relating to the moral government and kingdom of God, become new to the mind, and appear in a light entirely different, and contrary to what they did before. They now appear to

have such a reality, connexion, and consistence, as never appeared to an unrenewed mind.

True faith, considered in its general nature, consists in this discerning of Divine things, which originates in a right taste and disposition of mind, and is an exercise of such a taste, and so really an exercise of heart, even of LOVE to moral beauty and excellence.

Faith in Christ consists in this discerning of things relative to the character of the Mediator; which discerning implies an exercise of heart, even love to his character; and consequently, a hearty approbation and acceptance of him in his true character; which appears from what has been observed.

ence.

Hence it appears, that the object of the faith of God's elect, or real Christians, is different from that of the faith of devils and wicked men; and that this object is moral beauty and excellence. It also hence appears, that there is an essential difference in the subject, which is the foundation and origin of the forementioned differ. This consists in the taste and disposition of the heart. Hence there is also an essential difference in the exercise itself. The faith of the true Christian implies LOVE, as essential to it; love to the objects and truths discerned and believed, or the objects of faith. Or in St. Paul's words, this faith "worketh by love.' That is, the life and active nature, and the whole of the exercise of saving faith, is an exercise of heart, and consists in love. In this, and in this only,, it stands distinguished from all other kinds of faith. The faith of devils, and of unregenerate men, has no love to God and Divine things in the nature of it; but is consistent

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